5 must-have strategies for successful membership recruitmentXYZ University Share Ever feel like you're reacting to low membership numbers rather than working through an established, proactive plan to recruit and retain your members? Do you know why you do the things you do as they pertain to reaching out to new members for your association? Before you stick with the same, tried-and-true (or maybe not-so-true) methods for membership recruitment, keep these strategies and tactics in mind.More

Does your association need a chief content officer?Avectra Share Association websites were originally the place to tell the world what you're all about — where prospects, policy-makers and the press could check you out. Then, association management systems evolved and websites became a bigger part of the membership experience. Now, for many members the website is the association — it's where members find resources, community and connections to other benefits of membership. Hopefully, your website is no longer a billboard left to the IT department to maintain, but instead a key component of your digital and content strategies and aligned with your organization's strategic plan.More

CEO RecommendedBrought to you by the Fort Worth CVB9 ways great companies organize their teams for successFast Company Share Businesses exist for one simple reason: To solve a big problem. At the core of every great product or service is an unfulfilled need that reaches a big enough market. But it's not enough to have a great idea that solves a big problem. What it really takes is teams of talented people, organized in ways that truly let them shine. Behind each successful company stands a flexible team that can efficiently turn a vision into a growing business.More

How do your operations stack up?ASAE Share How do your association operations compare with others? The ASAE Operating Ratio Report can tell you. Compiled from IRS Form 990 data from 2,824 associations, as well as supplementary information from 512 associations that completed an additional questionnaire, the report contains financial and operational benchmarks that let you see how your organization stacks up to similar ones. This article provides a few key findings that will help you evaluate your association's performance.More

JW Marriott Austin Opens Early 2015Construction has started on the JW Marriott Austin convention hotel! The $300 million hotel will rise 34 stories on the east side of Congress Avenue and Second Street. It will have 1,012 guestrooms, making it the largest JW Marriott in room count in the United States when it opens.

4 ways data mining is going to change associationsMidcourse Corrections Share Data mining is the process of analyzing data from different sources and summarizing it into useful information. It's a process of discovering patterns in large sets of data. It's looking for relationships in facts, numbers and text that have not been found. Associations have yet to scratch the surface in mining the data they already have. In the future, they will also be mining data on the Web about their members. To continue to compete, they must piece together a more holistic view of their customers based on how they engage with the rest of the world and not just with their organization.More

Best practices for association micrositesSocialFish Share Micro websites and sub branding seem to go hand in hand, as does the angst and elation both bring to trade association marketing departments. According to a recent study, nearly one-half of U.S. associations have deployed micro websites to promote sub brands, and many of the association marketing execs mentioned a host of issues with the sites, including a lack of strategic tie back to the master brand.More

Brightest Diamond on the CaprockWith almost 20,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, and 303 guestrooms and suites, the Overton Hotel & Conference Center is everything you expect, in a place you never expected. Opened in late 2009, the Overton is the only AAA Four Diamond hotel in West Texas. Plan your next meeting with a touch of West Texas class!more

Stuck in a rut? 4 ideas to get the juices flowing at your next association staff or board meetingAssociation Resource Center Share It's summer; people are taking their vacations, recovering from their vacations or dreaming about their vacations. It can be hard to focus on being innovative, creative and strategic during a staff meeting or board retreat when the sun is shining and the patio beckons. But alas, the work of associations never stops. Decisions still need to be made, problems solved, ideas generated and work still needs to get done.More